Ryan Williams has not had a great sophomore year. It's been better than the Arizona Cardinals running back's rookie year, which he spent on crutches, and he's starting, so it could certainly be worse. But against the Miami Dolphins, in Week 4, Williams ran the ball 13 times for 26 yards. And, going into Thursday Night Football against the St. Louis Rams, that was his second-best yards-per-carry number of the season.
With Beanie Wells gone for the foreseeable future, Williams is going to have a few chances to turn things around before the Gridbirds cut his carries even further. But St. Louis could be his best bet. The Rams, even as their defense has made massive gains under Jeff Fisher, have stopped a single running back in four tries this season. Kevin Smith? 13 for 62 and a touchdown. Robert Griffin III and Alfred Morris? 27 for 171 and two touchdowns. Michael Bush? 18 for just 55, but a touchdown for his troubles.
And Marshawn Lynch, on Sunday? The Rams knew he was coming, particularly as Russell Wilson was phased out following a hot start, but they couldn't do anything about Beast Mode; he ran the ball 20 times for 118 yards.
Ryan Williams's success rate is the same this year: he's had one good game in four. If he can't break through the Rams' soft run defense, the Cardinals might want to start looking elsewhere.